Talking Point - KNOWING the Magick

 Talking Point - KNOWING the Magick (http://www.occultforums.com/showthread.php?t=3623)

I AM 06-15-2004 01:44 AM

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Talking Point - KNOWING the Magick

I, like many others, started doing my Magick believing that it would work. I performed Ritual and other Magick using knowledge I had gained from Grimoires and other Magickal writings.

During my first years of Magick my success was limited. At first I could not understand why I sometimes succeeded and other times I failed miserably. I always determined that I must have done something wrong and that this was why the Magick had failed.

Sometimes this was true. However, for the greatest part, my failure to perform Magick had nothing to do with how I did it. My failure was in not KNOWING I could.

When Magickians first start on their paths they do so believing that Magick is real. Either that or they have become fascinated with some aspect of the Occult. Most start to fulfill some desire while others are just curious. I don't think anyone starts with the intent of performing the "Great Work."

What all beginning Magickians have in common is a lack of confidence in their abilities and the understanding of how little they know about Magick. The smartest Magickians NEVER lose their understanding of how little they know. What many have in common is their "Faith" that there must be something to Magick or others would not do it.

As a foundational truth I offer the following. Magickians cannot do Magick until they KNOW they can. They can go through the motions, perform fancy Rituals, make pretty Temples, and dress in nice ritual robes but it will make no difference in the effectiveness of their Magick. They can have a mountain of "Faith" and fail.

We are told that "if we have FAITH the size of a grain of Mustard seed we can move mountains." I will say that "if we have KNOWING the size of a grain of sand we can move the World."

So, how is a Magickian supposed to KNOW they can do Magick if they can't perform Magick successfully to begin with? The answer is simple. Actively practice.

By performing the LBRP and other rituals we start to "Feel" the results of our Magickal acts. We can "Feel" the Magick inside ourselves after performing ritual and we KNOW we have been successful. The more we practice, the more we KNOW, because the more we practice, the more we can "Feel" the Magick working within us. Over time this "Feeling" of Magick grows stronger. We KNOW. As we grow in Magick our "Faith" slowly gets replaced with KNOWING.

As our KNOWING develops it translates into other parts of our ritual and those rituals start to become more successful. As we have more and more successful rituals we start to KNOW our Magick is working and that we were successful. We did the Magick! Instead of believing in ourselves we KNOW our capabilities. Instead of having "Faith" that the Magick will work we KNOW it will.

It is at this point that Magickians can really start to do real Magick. Everything up to this point has been preparation. However, most Magickians never think about the process they have just been through. Most Magickians just KNOW their Magick works. At this point "Faith" is no longer an issue. It no longer exists. It has been replaced with KNOWING.

IMHO, as all of us look back we can see elements of this process in our Magickal growth. Often without realizing it our Faith became KNOWING and along with it came consistent Magical Success.

Humbly, I AM

Qryztufre 06-16-2004 04:19 AM

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I am more or less new to magic (in practice) but I've read bits here and there on and off for the last 12 years. I'm taking it slowly (too slowly IMO), but then taking it slow is a good thing. I'm currently working on meditations, keeping journals, and the more minor basics (as I see them). After that I'll be heading into the more protective aspects (shielding, banishing, binding, etc). It will be a looooooong time before I have the "faith" to get into the evocation of even the most minor of spirits.

Thus far, from reading the forums here and abroad, I've come to the conclusion that magick is mostly Intent (desire?), Will( the focusing of that intent), and Faith (either in yourself and/or your god(s)).

As for KNOWING I can only assume that you mean belief in yourself more then how many books you've read...as I've certainly read enough to be on par with the more advanced novice.... But then I run over to the Chaos Board and see that all I've read has been for naught. Which brings me back to the three things I listed...which I guess all boil down to agreeing with your post on MANY levels.

Intent:
Intent in most cases is a case by case basis, and can either come easy to the magickian or come with great effort. Should the need arise, and I am inspired I know that I will have enough intent to accomplish anything within the boundaries of magick and possibly beyond. I am sure that this holds true of even the weakest and unknowing of man.

Will:
Learning to focus that intent is really where the practice comes in, as well as the book knowledge. Without a means to focus your intent you have nothing but wants and desires. It goes a bit beyond "practice makes perfect" as by performing rituals multiple times, by reading as much about magick as possible one will learn to focus their intent to a higher degree.

Faith:
You must believe, in yourself, or in your gods, you must KNOW yourself. If you have doubts, those doubts will cloud not only your Focus of Will, but also your intent. Your rituals are bound to fail if you do not believe they will work when you begin them. Your faith need not be in the gods, as proven by many a Satanist, Atheist, and Humanist practitioner...but faith in SOMETHING must be had. I believe that you can have the lowest self-esteem in the world, but if your Intent, your Will, and your Faith in your god(ess) are strong enough you *WILL* succeed...but you MUST leave all doubt behind!


Q

Telwilwarin 06-16-2004 03:48 PM

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Not bad. This "Knowing" has kind of always been with me. It was only the first weeks when i discovered magick that there existed doubt in me. I don't know..maybe i was Crowley in my previous life :lol:

Yes. I concider the introduction by DuQuette, Wilson, & co in the "Illustrated Goeta", and Crowley's own writings are good on the intent, will, faith thing. It made it much more clear to me.

Good post I AM!
 


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